All of Terry Pratchett’s works make for fantastic reading, but the Tiffany Aching books in particular (of which The Wee Free Men is the first) have a wonderfully strong feminist message.

When trouble threatens her land nine-year-old Tiffany takes it upon herself to act and save the day. For such a seemingly overused setup, the novel approaches it in a way I have not seen elsewhere. Tiffany is pragmatic and her story is not romanticized. She learns harsh lessons about life and is a stronger person for it.

The books read well and easily for adults, and I cannot recommend them enough.

The protagonist in this book had a rough start as an orphan abused in a nunnery. Her tough-love father returns for her when she is eight years old. They both work for royals who use them. Despite this, Reveka holds no grudges, tries to do the right thing and works towards her impossible dream of becoming an herbalist. When a curse on the princesses of the castle starts hurting everyone, and the prize for breaking the curse would let her become an herbalist, she cleverly and sneakily takes matters into her own hands.

The most feminist aspects of this book are rather subtle. Reveka criticizes the status quo. She thinks of everyone’s well-being rather than trying to follow the rules. She is chastises the princesses for being selfish and using religious superstition as justification for letting others get hurt. There are no obvious male romantic interests. She admits to small attractions to a young boy and an older man, but those feelings are brushed aside in favor of practical matters. Reveka is even outraged by her father’s ridiculous love interest. This hero exhibits great critical thinking, independence and empathy.

This is the first book in a quartet called Protector of the Small. Keladry is the first girl to take advantage of a new decree that women can become knights. She must overcome all kinds of prejudices and challenges in a male-dominated environment, but she won’t let anyone or anything stop her.

This is a beyond awesome feminist fantasy for young people (and adult people too). It bears little resemblance to the awful film sharing its name.

Ella quite literally has to be obedient to anyone who asks, a ‘gift’ from her fairy godmother (Who, like many people in patriarchal society, thinks that obedience in young women is somehow a virtue). So she goes on a journey to get her curse lifted, so she can be her own girl. Lots of emphasis on her friendships, growth, and in the end, she gets to save herself without depending on someone else to do it for her.

I love this book so much! Katsa is a strong woman, both physically and emotionally. She leads the men in her life, and although she falls in love, she does it without losing herself. She refuses to marry Po because doing so would mean making promises that she may not want to keep someday.

Instead of the prince having to save the princess, it’s the other way round! We join Princess Danielle not long after the famous Cinderella courtship, as Prince Armand is kidnapped by Danielle’s jealous stepsisters. Snow is a brilliant sorceress and Talia (Sleeping Beauty) is an assassin who aid her in the quest to rescue the prince. Each of the three women have a less than fairy tale upbringing, with Talia’s background especially gritty and steeped in betrayal and rape (a hefty, but well handled theme for a YA book).

Each woman has abilities that compliment the other, and a major theme of the book is about them learning to work as a team, teach each other new skills, and value friendship. The book is also not hung up on romance, leaving the women to explore many different facets of female relationships without the standard trope of them fighting over a man!

I love the Heroin. She doesn’t sit and wait to be saved, and she doesn’t let over-protective-emo guys control her or tell her what to do. Kaitlyn takes charge and drives the story. I think she is a great role model for young girls.

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